Adrienne Wyper

Do you find yourself worrying a lot? Between climate change, Brexit, Covid, and the war in Ukraine – to say nothing of more personal concerns like ageing parents, the rising cost of living, young people’s housing situation, your pension… it would seem unnatural if we weren’t a bit disturbed.
During the Covid pandemic, our background level of anxiety rose, because of the fear of catching it, and the unpredictability of, and changes to, everyday life. The World Health Organisation recently rele...

Walking is absolutely the most accessible activity for most people, wherever you are, with no kit needed, and more of us did it during lockdown. During 2020 the number of miles walked per person increased by 7% to 220, the highest levels since 2002. However, now that life has opened up again, our motivation may have waned, but walking is beneficial in so many ways. If you’re walking less now here are some reasons to get back into the habit, for May, National Walking Month.
Boost your memory. ...

Plants and fashion have been linked for millennia. Plants give us natural fibres for fabrics: cotton, bamboo, linen from flax are obvious examples – less obvious is the nettle family, which gives us ramie, and has been used for at least 6,000 years. Colour has historically come from plants, until Victorian times and the invention of chemical dyes. And plants and flowers inspire fabric patterns, too. In our global world this traditional connection has been lost, and what we wear is likely to b...

The UK is home to half the world's bluebells, the sight and scent of which embody the essence of high spring…

On a natural terrace overlooking rolling Kent farmland sits Coldrum, the most complete of the early Neolithic 'Medway megaliths'…

This year, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show returns to its rightful place in the gardening calendar: the last week in May, this year from Tuesday 24 May to Saturday 28 May. Last year’s Show was postponed until September by the pandemic, the first time ever that the Show dates have moved in the Show’s 109-year history.

Out on a first date once, I knew there wouldn’t be a second when the seemingly nice man opposite me said, ‘I think friends are overrated, don’t you?’…

The cold winds of winter whipping across the country are harsh on exposed skin, drying it out and stripping it of its natural oils, resulting in chapped lips and cracked hands. Constant hand-washing and mask-wearing doesn’t help the situation.

During the stay-at-home season of the pandemic, I often forgot to apply antiperspirant or deodorant, which led me to discover that my armpits aren’t as sweaty as they used to be. And I’m not alone: a Mintel survey revealed that almost a third of us have been applying less deodorant...

If you’re planning to install decking in your garden, and don’t want to worry about constant upkeep, the best composite decking could be what you’re looking for.

If you have any unwanted hair, the best home waxing kits are a great choice for removing it. Whether it’s whisking off a few stragglers on your upper lip, shaping your eyebrows, de-fuzzing your legs or manscaping your entire torso, the advantages of waxing in the comfort of your own home are extremely appealing.

As a habitual swearer, I might be biased, but apparently intelligent people are more likely to do it, and it indicates linguistic fluency, rather than a limited vocabulary. And that’s not the only good thing about ‘effing and jeffing’…

The wonderful weather of the past week or so may have put you off your stride, footwear-wise.